ransom
Money paid for the freeing of a hostage.
Example
“They were held for two million dollars ransom.”
Other meanings
The release of a captive, or of captured property, by payment of a consideration.
“prisoners hopeless of ransom”
A sum paid for the pardon of some great offence and the discharge of the offender; also, a fine paid in lieu of corporal punishment.
Related words
- ransomable
- ransomer
- ransomless
- king's ransom
- ransom strip
- hold for ransom
- hold ransom
- hold to ransom
- ransom note effect
- ransomware
Word history
From Latin "redēmptiō".
Where this comes from
This definition is adapted from “ransom” on Wiktionary, by its contributors, published under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page is published under the same licence.